If anyone knows fitness, its got to be Santa himself! How else does he get to ALL those children’s houses, shimmy down chimneys and lift that huge sack full of gifts in just ONE NIGHT? Obviously he may not be the smallest of our fitness icons (thanks to all those mince pies he’s obliged to scoff), but that man must surely move at speeds that’d see him smash every one of Usain Bolt’s world records. So, inspired by the moves of Old St. Nick, we’ve thought up a work out that will help you ‘sleigh’ at this year’s Christmas party (see what we did there…)
Wall climbers
Let’s warm up little slimming elves. Now, Santa’s pretty skilled when it comes to roof parking, we’re sure. But there must be some landings even his magical reindeers can’t make. So from the ground to the chimney, we’ve got to scale the walls like Spider-Santa-Man.
Lift your right hand and left knee ready to climb, reach high, and then jump, switching to the opposite hand and knee. Repeat and keep climbing for 30 seconds (quick as you can to reach the top!).
Chimney hip slimmers
Slim those thighs and trim your obliques to help you wriggle down the chimney.
Lie on your right side, prop your head up on your right hand and place your left hand on the floor to give you some support, lift your left leg as high as you can, then back down (keep your leg in line with your body, hips square). Repeat 20 times on each side.
Tip toe, high knees
Picture this, the children are nestled all snug in their beds (while visions of sugar plums dance in their heads) and you must sneak around noiselessly to deposit the gifts under the tree.
While standing, bring your right knee to your chest, return it silently to the floor, repeat with your left, pick up as much speed as you can without waking the children. Repeat for 1 minute.
Sack grabs
There’s a lot of heavy lifting required in this job, perhaps Santa is secretly hiding muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger under that suit?
Grab a small hand weight/bottle of water/tin of beans and hold with both hands. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, bend towards your right foot, then swing yourself to standing with your hands ending up over your left shoulder. Repeat 10 times on each side.
Gift lifts
Lifting a lot of gifts equates to a lot of bicep curls. Grab a weight (or bottle of water/tin of beans) in each hand, hold out in front of you at shoulder height, palms facing town. Bring your hands in to your shoulders, twisting your palms face-up as you pull up (keep your elbows up, in line with your shoulders). Repeat 20 times.
You have now completed Santa Boot Camp! Super fit elves can repeat the routine another 2-3 times, do this workout every other day and you’ll be fitter than Super-Speed Santa in no time! Let’s ‘get elfy’ this December!